


Snapshots

by NorthernDaughter



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-14 02:52:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17500196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NorthernDaughter/pseuds/NorthernDaughter
Summary: I've been writing these little snapshots into these silly boys' lives since the 2015-2016 season.





	Snapshots

“Josh,” Jakob sighs as he watches his boyfriend go after the guy that checked him. He manages to get to his feet as the younger man’s jersey comes off. The crowd applauds as he skates off, whether that’s because of him or his young lover he’s not sure. The doctor ushers him into the examination room.

~

“Josh you have to calm down,” Corey hissed when Josh comes off his first shift out of the penalty box.  
“Did you fucking see Jakob’s head hit the ice? I can’t just ‘calm down,’” Josh bites back.  
“Manso, keep your head on.Jakob is going to be pissed if we lose this game after that.” In his mind Josh reluctantly agrees. If his hits and checks were a little more frequent and aggressive than usual, nobody was going to say anything.

~

“You couldn’t just let it go, could you?” Jakob sighs as Josh comes into the exam room. The younger man quickly walks over and reaches out to push his fingers through the injured man’s hair before he realizes and stops himself.  
“He hurt you,” Josh shrugs.  
“You’re not my boyfriend on the ice,” Jakob says and then immediately regrets it when Josh flinches. “You know what I mean.”  
“You’re always my boyfriend, Jakob,” Josh says quietly. Jakob reaches out to him and pulls him to him,resting his upper body against the taller man, arms wrapped 7around his waist. “And I would have done that for any teammate. That was an intentional hit,” Josh says in the silence between them.  
“It’s a mild concussion. No screens or lights for at least 24 hours. The doctor texted mom and dad but I’ll need your help letting everyone else know tonight.”  
“Whatever you need.”  
“I know. I love you,” Jakob comments, squeezing his boyfriend tight before gently pushing him away. He relents to Josh’s puppy-dog eyes, giving him a kiss before pushing away again. Internally he’s groaning, wondering when he turned into such a lovesick sap. Probably when the beautiful dork first got called up from Norfolk.

~

“So, you going to be okay?”  
“Of course.”  
“Your stoic Swedish-Vikingness aside, how do you really feel?” Josh asks. They’re laying down in their room,all the lights off except for the faint glow coming from the bathroom. Jakob cracks a smile at that, pushing his head into Josh’s hand. Josh gets the hint and runs his hand through Jakob’s feather-soft hair. He lets his hand go lower, massaging the back of the older man’s head and neck. Jakob groans and relaxes further.  
“I’ll be as good as new if you keep doing that,” Josh chuckles and continues his ministrations. His other hand slides down the bed to tangle his fingers with Jakob’s. They lay there in silence for awhile. For Josh it’s hard to believe they’ve gotten this far, he can’t believe how lucky he is. He always thought Jakob was attractive, even when he was in Ottawa, but he never gave it more of a second thought. Up until he wasn’t, jakob was straight and happily engaged to, for all Josh knew, was his childhood sweetheart. Even when his relationship was falling apart, Jakob rejected William, making what Josh assumed was his intentions known that he didn’t swing that way. And then Josh’s own relationship with William, topped with William’s trade and Josh’s inability to stay up with the big club? Everything was stacked against them.  
Josh was probably the most surprised when Jakob showed up to his room when he was sick. He thought he was hallucinating at first. He had obviously been slightly, embarrassingly, infatuated with the man, but there was no clue whatsoever that the other man felt the same; they had maybe had three conversations before then. But now, Josh could easily see them spending the rest of their lives together. Even if one or both of them got traded they would make it.  
“I don’t know how I got so lucky. You can’t possibly begin to understand how much I love you,” Josh whispers out loud, believing Jakob is asleep. Instead, Jakob squeezes his hand even tighter.  
“Then you’ll have to show me. Everyday for the rest of my life I need you to love me,” Jakob responds. He pulls Josh further down the bed so he could use his chest as a pillow. He drifts off to sleep listening to the heartbeat of his younger partner, the heartbeat of the man Jakob wants to hear beat for him everyday for the rest of his life.

 

*~*~*~*~

“Jakob, what is that on your hand?” Ryan Getzlaf roars in the locker room during the first preseason practice. Jakob hears Josh try and muffle a laugh and smirks in his direction,  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about Getzy,” he laughs.  
“That is a ring. On your ring finger. Are you engaged? And you didn’t say anything? Is it Josh? It better fucking be Josh.”  
“Wait, wait, wait. You got engaged?” Josh voice says loudly, coming to stand behind Getzlaf to look at the Swede. The whole room goes mysteriously silent at his announcement, nobody certain what to say if there is about to be a big fight in the locker room.  
“Maybe. Look at the ring!” Jakob comments, holding up his hand, even though his ring is just a simple platinum band.  
“Nice, he must have good taste,” Josh comments, holding Jakob’s hand with his own left hand to admire the ring. As he raises his hand the band on his own finger becomes apparent. The whole locker room seems to sigh at the same time, the fear of a relationship issue abating. They all swarm the couple congratulating them and patting them on the back.  
“But we’re not engaged,” Josh comments, pretty much stopping everyone in their tracks.  
Jakob shakes his head at him. “We’re not just engaged. We got married,” he tells them.

 

*~*~*~*~*

Jakob walks into the locker room and suddenly stops, frozen in his action. Josh is at his locker, face pressed to Cam’s, kissing him soundly. His hands are buried in Cam’s darker hair, and his face is red, like he’s been at it for a while. Cam hasn’t even showered yet; he’s standing there in his practice clothes, hands buried under Josh’s shirt.

“Umm, why is my husband kissing another guy?” Jakob deadpans. He’s not really sure how to respond. He never thought he would have to ever have to question Josh, especially with a teammate in the locker room in front of the whole damn team. Before a game.

“Hey babe,” Josh pulls away from Cam when he notices his husband is watching. He reaches for the older man’s hand but Jakob flinches away.

“How could you?” Jakob whispers, shoulders crumpling. “Oh shit,” a lot of their teammates whisper around them.

“No. Jakob, no. Jakob, please. It wasn’t what you think,” Josh protests, staggering towards his husband. “It’s really not what you think,” Cam adds, his face a bright red. 

“It’s all my fault,” Brandon steps in, putting his hand on Josh’s shoulder. 

“How could this have anything to do with you?” Jakob laughs, maybe a little hysterically.

“I was telling him about the way Cam kisses and a trick that he does. I was trying to explain it so he could do it to you, but I couldn’t, so I made Cam demonstrate,” Brandon tries to explain. He’s nervous, tripping over his words, which makes him even worse. 

“It’s true,” soft voices call from around the locker room. “It really is true, Jakke,” Hampus whispers in Swedish to his friend. “Josh was talking about how you’re an amazing kisser and Brandon got all competitive because apparently he and Cam got their shit together, finally. Josh was going to tell you when he saw you.” 

Jakob looks at his husband and sees the pain there, tears threatening at his eyes. “Jakob, I love you. I love only you. For the rest of my life.” Jakob nods tensely and Josh practically drops in relief. “Thank God,” he says, surging forward to slam his lips against Jakob’s. “I’m so, so, so sorry,” he says between kisses. “Alright children, give them space,” Getzy voice calls over the roar, shooing them into line like the mother duck he is.

Josh pulls them both into the hallway for some privacy. They fall into each other, both using the other man as a support. Josh is shaking as bad as Jakob was, and the tears silently spill in relief. “Jakob,” Josh cups his face tenderly, “you are my husband. You are the man I married. The man I plan on spending the rest of my life with. I will never, ever leave you, okay?” As Jakob looks at him, at the love shining through him, the tears that were threatening pour out. Josh shushes him, wiping his wet cheeks with his thumbs.  
“I was just so scared. I love you more than I can deal with, every moment. I was afraid you were leaving. I don’t know what to do without you,” Jakob buries his head in Josh’s chest. Josh threads his fingers through Jakob’s silky blonde hair, humming low in his chest.

“I don’t know what I would do without you, either. And neither of us are going to ever find out, okay?” Jakob nods into his chest, still pressed tightly to his husband. “I can try and show you Cam’s trick?” Josh asks cheekily, lightening the mood. Jakob laughs wetly and pulls away from his husband, punching him in the shoulder. “Too soon?”

“You’re an ass,” he mutters, softening his words with another kiss. 

“Aww, mom and dad are good again,” Brandon calls from inside, his eyes visible through the crack in the door.

“You’re a freaking menace,” Cam sighs, pushing his boyfriend away from the door. “You’re the one who started this mess.” 

 

*~*~*~*

Josh sighs as he watches his husband almost literally stalk around the locker room. Every time he goes to walk over to him he gets glared at so he turns around, giving Jakob his space. He slumps in his stall, defeated, still in his sweaty hockey gear. “You okay?” Cam asks quietly from his own neighboring stall, lightly squeezing his knee.  
“I just feel helpless. We all feel like shit after this shitty ass game and there’s nothing I can do about it. Not for my team, not even for Jakob. I don’t deserve this A; hell, I don’t even deserve my husband right now,” Josh sighs, thumping his head against the back wall.  
“Don’t say that. He’ll be okay in a few minutes once he calms down. I’m sure he’s feeling a little guilty after that game, too, with that dumbass call. And you’re the best we got, Josh. You make the team want to follow you anywhere. So what? We lost a bad game. It happens and it’s going to happen many times more this season, I’m sure. I’ll gladly follow you as my captain anywhere.”  
“Go hit the showers, Manso, we need to get out of here so we can win tomorrow,” Adam calls to him, throwing a ball of tape at him.

 

Jakob is already on the bus with his headphones in when Josh gets on the bus. He doesn’t even look at him when he drops into the seat next to him, just continues to stare out the window. The only time he even acknowledges Josh is there is when he nudges him to hand him his motion sickness pills.

 

“Window or aisle,” Jakob asks, pulling out one headphone as they board the plane and head toward the back.  
“Window,” Josh replies. If Jakob isn’t going to talk to him then he’s going to at least take a nap on the flight. Jakob ushers him in and then drops into the seat next to him. He’s still not talking but he at least put up the armrest between them to bump their knees together. After an hour of tense silence between them and not being able to sleep, Josh just can’t take it anymore. He taps on Jakob’s knee to get the man’s attention, slightly shrinking at the intense blue-eyed stare aimed his way, one eyebrow raised.  
“I’m sorry,” he says quietly, hunching his shoulders. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be better, I’m sorry we lost on your birthday, and I’m sorry that I’m a terrible alternate and husband and can’t do anything to make you feel better,” he rambles, closing his eyes after saying it all.  
“Josh, what? Josh-look at me,” Jakob reaches for his chin, twisting the younger man’s face towards him. “This is not your fault. None of this is on you, absolutely none, okay? Okay?” He stares at him until Josh relents and nods. “And what this crap about you not being a good alternate or husband? Josh, if it came to a vote from everybody on the team you would get the C in a heartbeat. Hell, I think Getzy might even vote for you. And I shouldn’t even dignify the bad husband comment with a response. You are the best man anybody could ever ask for. You are the most perfect man in the world and look forward to beating off all the other people who think so as well. I’m just frustrated by that game. We all got some shitty calls.” Jakob scoots over to cuddle more into Josh, resting his head on his chest so Josh could hook his chin over his head. “I love you. Love you so so much.”  
“Love you, too. Sorry about your birthday,” he whispers into his hair.  
“There’s nothing else I could ever want, now that I have this ring on my finger and a matching one on yours. My present this year is that we’re playing together and you’re healthy and happy.” Josh can’t find words to respond, instead nuzzling his nose into Jakob’s hair and running his hand up and down his side, focusing on the catch of the metal band on the fabric.

 

*~*~

 

“I’m going to take the kiddie corps home,” Josh laughs, looking at them sprawled across the hardwood floor of the living room like puppies.  
“Not kids,” comes an indignant reply from one of them, causing Jakob and Josh both to laugh at them. The early-season bbq went off without a hitch, not considering Hampus and Rickard plying all the rookies with copious amounts of alcohol and then leaving. Assholes.  
“Sure. Tell me that again when you’re not laying on the floor in a puddle of drool,” Josh shakes his head. “Now c’mon. Don’t make me carry you, I’ll just drop you on your head.”  
“You can carry me to your bed,” Max tries to sound suggestive, missing it by about a mile, instead just sounding drunk off his face.  
“Give it up, Max, he’s mine,” Jakob calls to his linemate, throwing Josh keys.  
“Maybe one day,” Max mutters sadly, picking himself off the floor and lightly kicking his roommates until they do the same.  
“Not gonna happen, buddy,” Josh smirks. “Maybe try Hampus and Raks,” he throws his defensive partner under the bus, though it’s a common joke now.  
“Ugh, too much Swedish,” Max murmurs. Jakob throws a pillow at him for that while Isac just flips him off from where he’s face down in the couch. Josh manages to herd them out the door and into his truck, promising them he’ll tuck them in and give them goodnight kisses if they cooperate. Which he does, ensuring each rookie makes it into their own bed, takes their shoes off, gives them a glass a water and some painkillers, and placing a lingering kiss on their foreheads. He has a soft spot for the rookies a mile wide that everyone knows about.  
“Such a good captain,” Max mutters, rolling over to burrow in his covers. Josh takes an extra minute to ruffle his hair and place another kiss on his cheek, worried about the minutes and hits his husband’s liney has been taking. 

When Josh arrives back to his house after dropping the rookies off he finds Jakob on the couch with the tv on low, Isac snuggled up on his chest, dozing.  
“Isac, can I have my husband back?” he asks the teenager in Swedish, knowing that all the English wears him out. Jakob beams at him for that; Josh knows he loves hearing him speak Swedish but usually too self-conscious to do it much.  
“No,” Isac mutters, trying to burrow even further into Jakob. Josh sighs and leans down to pick up the young Swede in his arms to carry him to his room. “That was hot,” Isac mutters, now trying to cuddle up into Josh’s chest. “I see why Max is practically in love with you,” he comments. Josh’s ears burn as he places the rookie into his bed.  
“Go to sleep, love. I’ll make some pancakes in the morning for you,” he tells him. He presses a long kiss on his forehead before leaving, and Isac is asleep before he even shuts the door behind him.

“You done making all the rookies fall in love with you some more?” Jakob smirks when he makes it back into the kitchen.  
“Jealous?” Josh replies, backing his husband into the corner of the counter, blocking him in with his bulk.  
“I’m the one with your ring on my finger and you end up in bed with me every night, not them, so not really,” Jakob shrugs, pulling Josh’s head down into a heated kiss. Josh wraps his legs around hips, pulling the other man’s body even tighter against his own. “So fucking hot,” Jakob moans, sucking a hickey into Josh’s neck like they’re teenagers and not men that have been married for over a year.  
“I fucking love being married,” Josh gasps, placing Jakob’s legs back on the floor so he can drag him to the bedroom, both of them shedding clothing along the way. 

 

*~*~*~*~

 

Josh is sitting in Kes’ stall next to Jakob when Max comes back from the shower to his own stall next to Kes’.  
“Josh, are you gay?” he asks, apropos of nothing, giving Josh an intense look. Jakob snorts from where he’s untaping his sticks.  
“I am married to a man, so yes?” Josh asks back, raising his eyebrows.  
“That doesn’t mean you’re actually gay,” Max shrugs.  
“I’m pretty sure it does. It’s not like it was an arranged marriage. And I assure you it’s very much not a sexless marriage.” Jakob starts choking at that statement.  
“That’s not what I meant. You could be straight and just somehow fell in love with Jakob. You could just be Jakob-sexual. You could be bisexual. There’s a lot of options, is what I’m saying.”  
“I’m gay. I’ve been in multiple relationships with men before Jakob, and only with men. Does that answer the damn question?” Josh rolls his eyes at Jakob bristling slightly at the comment. It’s ridiculous that he’s jealous as clearly none of the previous relationships worked out. Hell, Jakob was the one engaged before.  
“Cool. Jakob?”  
“Bisexual. I was actually engaged to a woman before we broke it off and I started dating Josh.”  
“Were you ever with men before your girlfriend?” Josh perks up at that question, looking at his husband with interest. They’ve never really talked about before Clara, considering Josh knew how long they were together for.  
Jakob blushes fiercely. “Kind of? I hooked up with one of my brother’s friends and we dated but we were never really serious. Why?”  
“Just curious. I think I’m bisexual, too,” he shrugs before standing up and walking away, going to jump on Hampus’ back.  
“Brother’s friend, eh?” Josh smirks, nudging Jakob with his shoulder.  
“Shut up. We were young and dumb. You’ve actually met him. It was Tim,” he blushes even more.  
“No shit. That’s why he can’t look me in the eye. Does Joakim know?”  
“Probably. We weren’t exactly subtle.”  
“Good to know things don’t change.”  
“Hey. I could be subtle if I wanted to. I just don’t want to with you. I want everyone to know how much I’m in love with you.”  
“Fuck,” Josh moans, eyes darkening as his dick jumps. Jakob smirks like he knows exactly what those words did to him. “We need to get out of here before I drag you into the bathroom and blow you with our team still here.” Jakob throws everything into his bag quickly and pulls Josh to his feet, leading him out of the locker room and to the parking lot. “Jakob,” Josh moans, pushing Jakob against his truck when they make it there, kissing him fiercely, tongue mapping his husband’s mouth. “Jakob Silfverberg, you are going to be the absolute death of me,” he pants when he manages to pull away. Jakob smiles and gets the keys out of his hands, climbing in behind the wheel.  
“The quicker we get home, the quicker I can make it up to you…”

*~*~*~*~

 

“You guys have got to stop flirting with my husband all the time,” Jakob groans to Max who finally has given up on trying to pester Josh into giving him a piggyback ride around the locker room.  
“But he’s so cute,” Max sighs.  
“I know. That’s why I married him. Which means he is unavailable to you little heathens running around underfoot all the time.”  
“It’s cute when he blushes about it though,” Max shrugs.  
“You guys have a game, don’t you? Who can embarrass him the most?”  
“Not who can embarrass him the most. Who can get cuddles the most.”  
“I win that one.”  
“You obviously don’t count.”  
“Who is winning?”  
“Isac. Which is so unfair with him living with you guys. He actually gets picked up and carried. I can barely get a hug,” Max pouts.  
“This is so weird,” Jakob sighs. “Next time you come over, bring Ben & Jerry’s Half-Baked. That will get you all the cuddles. I’ll hold off Isac.”  
“You’re the best liney ever!” Max gives him a tight hug before pulling away. “Can I come over tonight? Please please please?”  
“Sure. Just don’t end up stealing him from me. I don’t think I could take that.”  
“Jakob you’re crazy if you think he sees anyone else in a room when you’re in it. He’s so ridiculously in love with you fucking Alexander Wennberg could do a strip tease and he wouldn’t notice.”

 

*~*~*~*~“Jakob, is Josh okay,” Brandon asks as Josh stalks off the ice. He’s been distant and cold all morning, literally glaring at anybody and everybody, including Jakob himself. Nobody wants to say a word to him or get close- an angry Manson is a very scary Manson; unlike his father, Josh doesn’t lose his temper often, but when he does, it, like his father, is epic. Jakob slightly feared for his life on the drive in today.  
“He’ll be okay. He’s a little mad but mostly upset about things with Max last night.” Brandon nods understandingly.  
“I texted him, but he didn’t respond. Understandably.” 

 

~*~*~*~

 

“Josh, you know I love you,” Jakob smirks, joining his husband who’s standing in front of Gibby’s stall talking to some of the team.  
“Uh oh,” Josh rolls his eyes, pulling Jakob in close to him with a hand around his waist. He looks down and sees pure mischief sparkling in his husband’s blue eyes.  
“You’re a great hockey player, and a great defenseman,” he continues, punctuating the compliments with a light kiss, sliding his hand under Josh’s shirt to palm his abs.He doesn’t pull away completely, keeping their faces close together, noses bumping. “But you are the worst forward I have ever seen. If you’re going to join the rush- we’re going to need to work on that. It’s bad.”  
“You’re a jerk,” Josh pouts at him, pushing him away. All the guys are laughing now, not really used to seeing Jakob antagonize Josh. The other way around, sure, but the Swede was usually relatively quiet in the locker room.  
“Hey, I’m just saying what everyone is thinking,” Jakob laughs. 

 

~*~*~*~

 

“Back where it all started, eh?” Jakob smiles at Josh, wrapping him up in a tight hug with Josh’s back to his chest. They’re in a hotel room in Winnipeg, the same hotel where Jakob first came to Josh when he was sick 4 years ago. “Not great that you were, you know, practically dying, but that night is one of my best memories.”  
Josh hums in response. “Can I tell you a secret?” He turns in Jakob’s arms to face his husband. “I don’t actually remember anything from that night. I was too sick to. I only remember that you were in my bed for some reason the next morning,” he shrugs.  
“What,” Jakob gives him a dead look. “Are you fucking serious.”  
“Sorry, babe. But I love how it turned out,” he leans in for a kiss but Jakob pulls away.  
“I can’t believe this.” Jakob pulls away from the younger man. He grabs his jacket off the bed and walks out of the room, Josh staring after him.  
-  
“Are Mom and Dad fighting?” Jacob asks as the team is waiting in the lobby of a restaurant, Jakob and Josh standing on opposite ends of the group, not even looking for each other from across the room like the usually do.  
“Yes. Because Mom is a dirty liar and our relationship is built on a sham,” Jakob replies coolly, glaring at Josh.  
“Dad is just being an overdramatic asshole over something that happened 4 years ago that changes absolutely nothing about our relationship now,” Josh responds.  
“4 years and you’ve never said anything the entire time,” Jakob sniffs.  
“Might I interject that it was not my fault. I literally had no control over it. And everything turned out fine anyway,” Josh rolls his eyes.  
“What the fuck is wrong with you two?” Ricky comments, glaring at both of them.  
“Josh doesn’t remember the night we got together.”  
“I was sick. I had a raging fever. It was not. My. Fault, Jakob. And it’s not like I didn’t like what happened because of it. I was already practically in love with you, just like I am now. And I can remember every single day since then.”  
“I just can’t believe you never said anything in all these years. It was our first kiss,” Jakob pouts.  
“I woke up to the man of my dreams in bed with me taking care of me. I wasn’t about to question anything. And what does it matter our first kiss, as long as our last one was good? And we still can. I’m more in love with you now than I was then. Each kiss since that day has meant more than that one.”  
“Wow. I think that was the most romantic thing you’ve ever said,” Jakob finally crumbles and goes to his husband. “Sorry for being dramatic.”  
“Sorry for not remembering and not saying anything. But maybe next time, wait until we’re not in front of our entire team, yeah?” Jakob practically giggles into Josh’s shoulder at the team looking at them, wide eyed.  
“I wish I would’ve recorded that,” Keifer groans. “Max should’ve been here for that.” Josh just flips him off.


End file.
